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Rating: If it's true that the international metal scene is experiencing renewed success, it must still be admitted that in the past decade, few bands have emerged with an original sound that sets them apart from the influences of the iconic groups of the '80s. There's no generational turnover, and this is evidenced by the fact that the headliners of the main metal festivals are always the same (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth).
Mastodon represents one of the rare examples of a successful band managing to create a personal style: since the release of their first album, "Remission," the Atlanta quartet has managed to build an increasingly large following with albums considered masterpieces by both critics and much of the audience, and with relentless live activity that has taken them around the world. What most distinguishes the group is their ability to constantly renew themselves, crafting very unique and diverse works that always manage to capture the essence of their sound, resisting any kind of classification. For this reason, with every new album release, a lot of anticipation is created, as you can never know what the final result will be.
After the deserved success of "Crack The Skye," which marked a radical change from their previous works, Mastodon released the fifth episode of their discography, "The Hunter." The days of violent and sludge rides of "Remission" and "Leviathan," the growl and shouted vocals, the complexity of an album like "Blood Mountain," and the progressiveness of "Crack The Skye" seem far off. "The Hunter" represents yet another transformation for the band, who this time wanted to create an immediate and accessible record, with songs that more closely follow the song form. From the first tracks, the two singles "Black Tongue" and "Curl Of The Burl," it is possible to grasp the main elements that distinguish this latest work from their previous ones: the complexity has been abandoned in favor of immediate tracks and catchy but never banal choruses, with clean vocals replacing the screamed singing, all accompanied by meticulous production with no flaws. For the first time, Mastodon did not opt for a concept album but decided to play a varied setlist, ranging from the psychedelic and space rock of the '70s ("Stargasm") to a stoner sound vaguely reminiscent of QOTSA ("Dry Bone Valley"), moving on to tracks that manage to best merge Mastodon's new sound with the technicality of previous works ("Octopus Has No Friends" and the excellent "All The Heavy Lifting") or, in other cases, with faster and more violent tracks ("Blasteroid" and especially "Spectrelight").
What you would never expect is to hear them play songs like "The Hunter," a sort of ballad dedicated to Brent Hinds' brother (who died during a hunting expedition), enriched by a poignant solo, or "Creature Lives," introduced by a moving bass line followed by a vocal rich in choruses and very catchy. At these points on the album, the most hardcore metalhead, long hair, jacket, and beer in hand, will probably wonder if they’ve ended up on a pop album (oh no!) and will begin to think that Mastodon has completely sold out, but in reality, after the initial astonishment, it must be acknowledged that these are indeed very good songs, showcasing once again the brilliance of the band in continuously changing genre and evading any type of classification.
The limited edition of "The Hunter," aside from having different artwork, also adds a DVD, which traces the salient features of the album's production, with a track-by-track commentary by Brann Dailor (once again his contribution to the drums is excellent), and also includes the video for "Black Tongue," featuring AJ Fosik, creator of the "The Hunter" sculpture, "Stargasm," and finally "Deathbound," a track not included on the album.
In conclusion, "The Hunter" is really a great album, which doesn't reach excellence only because Mastodon, in the recent past, has managed to amaze us even more with masterpieces like "Leviathan," "Blood Mountain," and "Crack The Skye." The ability to constantly renew themselves, while maintaining their essence, and continually surprise their audience by crafting excellent albums, makes Mastodon one of the finest realities of the current metal scene.
Rating: 8.5/10
Tracklist:
Black Tongue
Curl Of The Burl
Blasteroid
Stargasm
Octopus Has No Friends
All The Heavy Lifting
The Hunter
Dry Bone Valley
Thickening
Creature Lives
Spectrelight
Bedazzled Fingernails
The Sparrow
DVD: Track by Track Commentary, Making of "The Hunter," "Deathbound" video, "Black Tongue" video, "Stargasm" psychedelic visualizer.
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